Page 39 of The Irish Gypsy
The girls eyed each other and then noddedagreement. "If you insist," Barbara said, "we'll go to the sameacademy for young ladies that Julia went to, and then you mustpromise to take us to London so we can meet some young men andbegin to enjoy life!" Kitty hid a smile at the anger that distortedPatrick's features at the mention of young men.
"I want both of you to be on your bestbehavior tonight. We're having some very important guests fordinner. Mr. Haynsworth, who owns the oldest bleaching firm inEngland, is trying to interest me in some new scheme. It's strictlybusiness, but you've driven past their place at Rose Bank and youknow how posh they live, so for God's sake don't disgrace me."
They raced upstairs and pulled every articleof clothing from Julia's wardrobe and clothespress that she hadleft behind. They spread them over the bed and Kitty made herchoice easily. It was a gown of red velvet, low in the neck, veryfull in the skirt. She would have to nip in the waist and take upthe hem, but it would be worth the effort. They went throughBarbara's clothes, but she rejected everything. "This pink is sochildish, and pale blue is insipid, don't you think? You've no ideahow wealthy the Haynsworths are. I think there's a son and adaughter, and I don't want to look like a schoolgirl in front ofthem," she lamented.
"Well, let's look at Julia's things again,"Kitty suggested.
Barbara decided on an antique-gold taffetathat rustled deliciously and agreed that they would keep out ofPatrick's sight until the last minute in case he decided they weredressed too boldly for their age and ordered them to change. Whenthe girls finally came downstairs, Kitty knew she looked wellbecause Patrick couldn't keep his eyes from her. Her lips andbreasts invited a man's mouth, her curls were too much of atemptation to leave untouched and she had such a saucy, knowinglook in her eyes tonight.
When the guests arrived, Kitty was surprisedat how much Samuel Haynsworth reminded her of Jonathan O'Reilly. Hehad thick gray side whiskers and the same thick-set body. He wasanother self-made man, of which Lancashire boasted so many, and hisspeech and mannerisms were almost identical to JonathanO'Reilly's.
The son was another type completely. He was aslim blond with lazy-lidded eyes which gleamed with unconcealedlust when he beheld Kitty. Patrick regretted the table arrangementsthat seated Keith Haynsworth next to Kitty, but it was too late tochange them. He introduced his sister Barbara, then quickly passedKitty off as 'our cousin Kathleen'.
Patrick hardly paid attention when he wasintroduced to Grace Haynsworth, a colorless young creature whocould only be described as plain. Patrick was hard pressed to payattention to what Samuel Haynsworth was talking about, for everytime he looked down the table toward Kitty, Keith Haynsworth waswhispering to her. First she would look shocked, the next time helooked she would be blushing and then damn, blast and set fire toit all, she would be laughing up at him. Once again Patrick turnedhis attention to the older man, only to be distracted by Barbara'sgiggling. He looked up to see Keith Haynsworth bring his hand fromunder the table. The moment he did so, Kitty gave his hand such avicious jab with her table fork it drew blood, and Keith had tocover it quickly with his napkin. It looked like Kitty could takecare of herself, but her table manners were appalling.
Patrick turned to Grace Haynsworth on hisleft, and the contrast between the young women struck him forcibly.She wore a simple white gown and her halo of golden hair made herlook innocent and virginal. She was quiet and poised and showedbreeding in every line. Patrick thought she was the kind of younggirl a man should choose for his wife. She'd make the perfectmother for a man's children. Even though her face was plain, it wassweet and serene, and Patrick thought she'd probably be complacentalso, as he couldn't imagine her making a scene.
"Would you ladies like to leave us to ourport now, so we can get down to business?" Samuel Haynsworth askedbluntly.
Patrick noted the rebellious looks but waspleased to see how graciously their guest arose and excusedherself. Grace had been named well.
Keith stood up from the table and said, "I'llentertain the ladies while you discuss your business."
Patrick was damned if he was going to allowhim free rein with Kitty. He put a viselike grip on the young man'sshoulder and said, "Sit down. You won't want to miss this excellentnew port. It's from my own vineyards in France," he lied smoothly,then turned to face the older man.
"Well, Patrick, I've been toying with theidea of a model mill. Modern, streamlined, the very latestmachinery. A really large place capable of employing about athousand people."
"I think that's a marvelous idea, but itwould take a lot of planning and a lot of money," Patrick said,showing immediate interest.
"Well, of course I wouldn't attempt somethingof this scale on my own. I'd have to get a few partners."
"Our mills employ only about a hundred or so.What about housing the employees?"
"We could build a model village close to themill with an institute for the workpeople and suchlike."
"I see you've been giving it a lot ofthought. You'd need a large tract of land to begin with."
"That's the one thing I've got plenty of. Iown all the land at Rose Bank and half of Barrow Bridge."
"Who besides myself were you thinking ofapproaching?"
"Well, I had thought of Gardiner."
"Good choice. How about Bazley?" Patricksuggested.
"Of course! I knew you'd have some goodideas."
"Would you object to London backing?"
"Of course not. What do you have inmind?"
"Well, I'd suggest we get plans drawn up andpublish some drawings in theIllustrated London News.Mighteven get someone in the House interested: they're forever on aboutimproving the workingman's condition in industry. Now's theirchance to do something constructive about it."
"You'd have to handle the London end ofthings."
"No problem there; just tell me when you'reready."
"Well, hold on a bit. All I really wanted wasyour ideas on the feasibility of the plan. I'll kick it about for awhile and get back to you."
